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Johannesburg - The call for journalists to leave the venue where Cosatu is hosting its special national congress is not an act of manipulation, a National Union of Mine Workers official said on Monday.
"I don't think we've made any attempts to manipulate the agenda. There is no manipulation taking place, none whatsoever," NUM health and safety national chairperson Peter Bailey told journalists in Midrand, north of Johannesburg.
He said they had not been kicked out for good. There was a need for delegates to be given clarity on the reasons why there had been a call for a special national congress, he said.
"Congress, when it was initially asked, it was for two specific reasons and we need to clarify that inside there because there's a lot of confusion about why congress was called."
Some delegates were seen walking in and out of the venue in small numbers. Cheers and applause could also be heard from the outside.
The media were let back into the hall at about 16:30, according to News24 journalist Genevieve Quintal.
